Haunted History
by Vehyn Fyre
Summary: 'The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they many act their dreams with open eyes... To make it possible...' Lawrence of Arabia. NaruMai Hiatus


**Ghost Hunt Archives 1 – **_Haunted History_

**Summary:** 'The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they many act their dreams with open eyes... To make it possible...' Lawrence of Arabia

**A/N:** Set roughly a year and a half after Naru and Lin return to Japan. Just cause. Problem?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ghost Hunt or the reference made later on.

**For this chapter:**

_Italics – English_

_Italics Underlines – Letter _

**Chapter 1**: To the Past

The ancient chateau lay broken and majestic in the wild jungles of Eastern France. Wild vines and over-grown foliage littered the broken mosaic footpath as birds chirped overhead high in the tree canopy while the sun filtered through in streams of gold. Within this timeless place, the team trekked under the weight of their equipment. Each weary from their journey as they made their way to their destination that seemed so far out of reach. There were only two people missing; Osamu Yasuhara and Masako Hara. The latter of which would arrive later with the chateau caretaker.

"Geez! My hair's ruined!" Ayako yelled, her bags falling with a heavy _thud _to the dusty ground. A frustrated sigh past her lips as she pulled at her red locks, struggling against the tangles that ran through her mane of hair.

"I think it's never looked better." A snicker accompanied the comment and she glared at the blonde bassist that had his arms weighted down by a heavy box. Ayako snatched one of her bags from the ground and pulled back, aiming for his head when a hand closed around her arm. Naru stepped up to her, having been bring up the rear, and sent her a glare.

"Unless you wish to pay for any damages, Ms Matsuzaki, you should just pick up your bags and keep walking."

With a huff, she grabbed the other abandoned items and stalked off, hesitating only when she reached Lin and John at the head of the group.

"Chill out Naru-" Monk started, eyes narrowing when he noticed only a backpack bearing down on the young man. "What the hell? Why do we have to carry all this if you only have a bag?"

"'Cause he's the boss!" The familiar, cheerful voice chirped and drew the attention of the two men. Standing only a few feet away was Mai, her arms filled with a big box and bags dangled from her arms. Her head sat atop the box, brunette hair, loose from her pony tail, plastered to her forehead. She beamed at them when Monk gapped as she handed the box to Naru.

"Thank you Mai." He said, following after the rest of the team.

"Did he... just say 'thank you'?" The blonde asked, mouth still open.

"Yeah. Time changes people. He's changed too since he got back." Mai said, eyes distant as she watched the young narcissist converse with the teams' omnioji. "And close your mouth Monk!"

No one spoke after that, too caught up in the beautiful sight before them just beyond the tree line. A large building, broken and worn sat, picturesque amongst the over grown foliage of a once neatly kept garden. Large grey statues, chipped and weathered seemed to watch and the team passed them towards the courtyard. A fountain, covered in ivy and creeper vines still tricked water in the centre of the three buildings. The main chateau directly before them and the servants quarters and green house to the side. Faint traces of paint clung desperately to the mosaic footpath around the fountain, a distant reminder of the past.

"My word..." John whispered, blue eyes wide in amazement.

Mai gazed upon the building, face pale. Her stomach churned, unease settling heavily on her shoulders as she focused on the broken doorway at the top of a small set of stairs. Without Masako, no one would be able to do anything close to finding specific spirits or their whereabouts. The nagging feeling in the back of her mind sent chills down her spine. She was jarred out of her discomfort as Naru walked passed her, heading straight for the servants quarters. It was small in comparison to the main building, two storeys high. It was mostly intact other than the broken door, set aside by a pile of debris, and broken or missing stained glass windows. Wood and ceramic flower pots lined the outside wall, some tipped and broken while other held weeds.

Upon entry, the musky smell of stale air and wet wood assaulted their senses. Monk coughed loudly and he set his things down in the far corner by a set of shelves before collapsing into a wicker chair set infront of the shelving. It gave a single, ominous creak before it gave way under his weight, and sending him sprawling across the dirty, debris covered ground.

"Ow..." He moaned, sitting up and rubbing his hip.

"Smooth, Monk. Real smooth." Mai giggled, unpacking a portable tea pot and necessary utensils for the teams stay on the newly fixed (from what she could tell) counters set against the adjacent wall to the shelves.

The room was relatively simple and had, from what they had been told, acted as the rec room. Stone walls and wood flooring was littered with debris and dust. Opposite the broken doorway, next to the counter space, was a sink that led fresh water. The bedroom upstairs had been deemed unsafe so sleeping bags and other items had been placed in the room for them. A modern bathroom had been build for their stay upon Naru's request (threat). Windows were missing either completely gone or missing many stained glass pieces, allowing a breeze that was sure the be chilling at night.

"You expect us to stay here?" Ayako screeched, face brighter than her hair as she pinned Naru with her best glare. Not that he cared.

"Now, now. We just need to clean up a bit." John intervened, raising his hands in a show of peace. The young Australian quailed, eyes wide in fright as the red head advanced. Mai jumped to his aid almost instantly.

"At least we have working plumbing. There's plenty of warm water for us all and besides. It's safer if we're all closer to each other while we stay here."

Naru blinked at the brunette, stunned by how much she had matured. In less than two years, she had graduated high school and became a full time position at SPR, taking over while Naru was away– with the help of Madoka. Her hair had grown past her shoulder blades and her face was slightly sharper, more feminine but still held a hint of childishness with her large brown eyes. A small voice in the back of his head commented that she resembled a pixie, but he ignored it. Like always.

It took the team a fair amount of time to clean, fix the door, board up windows and set out the bedding along the free wall, effectively blocking the door that led upstairs. Monk even fixed the furniture and by late afternoon, he had even made the team a dining table out of the larger pieces of debris that Mai and Ayako had cleaned early on. The equipment was properly stored (to Naru's pleasure) and what they would need in base was set out. Including the gas stove they had the caretaker place in the room.

Mai silently thanked whoever invented portable power generators and gas stoves as the last of the sunlight died out and John closed the door, pulled the latch and checked that it was firmly in place.

"Dinner's ready!" She called, hands shaking as she pulled the heavy pot from the stove. She was about to search for bowls when a light _thud _drew her attention. Turning to find the source, she was startled to find Naru standing beside her. He gently tugged the ladle from her hand and smirked, eyes twinkling with an emotion she couldn't place.

"Just go sit Mai. You look tired." She balked at him, eyes blinking in surprise before she nodded mechanically and sitting in one of the dining chairs. She was contemplating the reasons for his odd behaviour when Monk dropped and hand on her shoulder and leant down to whisper in her ear.

"What was that about? Did he lose a bet to you or something?" Apparently, Monk had witnessed the oddly kind gesture and was just as puzzled as the brunette, even as she laughed at the preposterous thought of Naru having lost a bet. He wouldn't lose, even if he bet against the devil himself.

"You and I both know Naru doesn't gamble." Monk scoffed, mumbling something under his breath and taking a seat next to her. "As for your first question however, I don't know."

Just as she finished speaking, a steaming bowl of soup was placed infront of her. Following the jacked clad arm, she gazed up to see her boss.

"Something wrong?" He asked, not waiting for a response as he walked back to the soup. Ayako had, in that time, sat on Mai's other side and placed her chin on the brunette's shoulder, causing the young woman to jump. Unbeknownst to them, Lin smirked , his laptop closed as he watched his charge. He _loved _the influence he had on the dark haired male.

Dinner was a silent affair other than the occasional comment. Or in Monk and Ayako's case (sometimes Naru's), the occasional insult. Monk had tried to tease Naru about his earlier behaviour, but his attempts were always foiled by said narcissist or Mai, who didn't want Monk to make a scene and evidently, embarrass her.

"Goodness me Mai. That was wonderful. Thank you!" John beamed at her as she gathered the dishes. She waited to see if someone would help her and huffed when no one made a move, an odd sensation overcoming her. Cheeks puffed in indignation, she spun on her heel. Back straight, she strode the sink and dumped the dishes, each plastic utensil (they weren't allowed to use glass or porcelain) clattering harmlessly to the bottom of the rectangular white tub. With a harsh flick of her wrist, water gushed from the tap and she attacked the dirty dishware with an energy the team hadn't seen before, soup suds and water spraying everywhere in the process.

"Mai?" Monk questioned, slowly edging towards her. She had always been unpredictable, they knew that. That's just how Mai was. But this was downright weird for the brunette. Said brunette blinked, eyes focusing on her hands which had stopped after placing the last dish to dry on the rack beside her.

"Mai? What happened?" It was Naru this time to show his concern, voice soft and calm as he gained her attention, hand resting gingerly on her shoulder as if she would break. In response to his words, she robotically turned the water off and stepped away from the sink, shoulders shaking.

"What a horrible feeling..." She whispered, chills racing up and down her spine before her head snapped up. "Naru! Move!"

His brows knitted together a split second before the ceiling gave an almighty _CRACK!_ The next thing he knew, the wind was knocked out of him as something collided with his chest and his back connected harshly with the floor. Seconds passed and everything was silent. He took the time to take into account what happened. There was a soft weight pressing on his chest and his head was pounding from where it had connected with the wood below him. Wincing, he lifted his head and his eyes grew wide. In the place he had been standing moments before was a large wooden beam, easily double his size, jutting out of the floor. Pieces of stone and rusty nails scattered around the immediate area and debris still falling in small streams from the hole in the ceiling.

"Mai! Naru!" Ayako called from across the room as she tended to Monk to make sure he was uninjured after jumped backwards to avoid being hit by the beam.

Lin was the first to reach the pair and gently lifted Mai from atop his boss. She was shivering, skin pale and her breath ragged as if she had run a marathon. Out of habit – Thanks to a certain duo which always seemed to get injured on cases-, he checked her over. When he discovered she was only in mild shock, he let a relieved sigh pass his lips before he looked at his charge. Ebony met indigo and he nodded. With tenderness he hadn't known he possessed, Lin turned the brunette in his arms to face his boss.

"Mai..." Naru started, voice slow and even and he sat up and leant close to her. "How did you know that would happen?"

"I..." She paused, swallowing thickly before she closed her eyes, brows creased as she thought. "It was like... I don't know. I didn't... _feel_, like myself and then I just got this horrible feeling and a bunch of images popped into my head. Just like that! I just followed my instinct."

"Geez Mai. Looks like your intuition saved Naru." Monk joked as he placed a gentle hand on her head, his actions barely masking the still dying panic in his chest.

"Are you alright Kazuya?" John asked, hand outstretched. Despite knowing Naru's real name, the blonde still proved the saying '_old habits die hard.' _Taking the offered hand, Naru rose to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Lin and Takigawa help Mai off the floor before everyone turned to face him. It was Mai to take the initiative.

"Naru... What's going on here?"

The dark haired narcissist moved to the shelves and grabbed his notebook before pulling out an elegantly written letter and handed it to her.

"Most of you don't know English, so-"

"_You don't need to translate_." The brunette spoke in English, startling the others in her fluency of the language.

"_Wow Mai! When'd you learn how to speak English_?" John asked, eyes wide at the discovery.

"_It was a part of my curriculum at school, but I spent so much time on cases that I fell behind. After Naru and Lin went back to England, I caught up on my work and was top of my class. Considering that my boss was English, I thought it would be useful, so I tried my best_." She explained, eyes skimming the paper in her hands.

"I'm assuming you can read it for Ms Matsuzaki and Takigawa then?" She nodded at Naru's question and the two mentioned members huddled close to her, not realising their boss had just insulted them... kind of.

'_Welcome SPR to the Flur Chateau. Dr Martin Davis explained how his son and colleges would be taking the case in his place to deal with out 'problem,' so we've made arrangements for your stay. Please be warned however, that upon entering the slaves' quarters, a wooden beam will eventually fall. We don't know where it comes from, but the phenomenon gets more and more violent every time. So please take care and take comfort in the fact that it will only happen once to any one group._

_A map has been provided to an 'Oliver Davis' and will help you as you make your way through the Chateau. Unfortunately, most workers have been chased out during inspections to see how much damage there is to the location. You will have to map certain locations and paths as you make your way through the Flur homestead and find ways around obstacles. I'm certain it will make for a rather unique adventure on your case during your stay._

_There is, in the courtyard; sightings of apparitions, objects that move and water in the fountain that turns red. In the chateau itself, we know nothing more than that the foyer shakes as if struck by an earthquake and yet the outside world is completely stable. Smoke fills the air at times and the sound of laughter – sometimes crying- can be heard from the within the depths of the chateau. A dark figure is also said to lurk within the main entryway._

_We have not looked further than what has been listed, so we implore you to do a... bit, of extra work. Map and record damages and activity as you deal with our problem. Safety equipment and the required items for your search have been supplied._

_Thank you,_

_Flur-de-leis Chateau Staff._

Mai blinked as she finished the letter, bracing herself for Ayako to yell in her ear. As if on cue, the red head screamed in indignation.

"Are you kidding me! First they make us come all the way out here, in the _middle of nowhere, _and expect us to act like Indiana Jones! Who do they think they are?" Her voice was shrill with fury as she snatched the paper from Mai's hands and waved it in Naru's face.

"They're paying us rather handsomely, if I do say so myself, so I suggest you stop complaining."He replied, grabbing the red heads flailing arm and lowering it. "And if you choose to _keep _complaining, I'll cut your share in half."

The threat caused her to huff, face red with the effort to hold back an angry retort. A small hand on her shoulder and she spun around to see Mai smiling at her, eyes sparkling with restrained truth.

"Don't worry Ayako. Last year I volunteered to help a research team explore a set of haunted caverns in Kyoto. I can be the teams Indiana Jones." The brunette grinned, making Ayako and Takigawa melt and they crushed her in a bear hug, suffocating her as she struggled.

"Release my assistant. If she acquired the skills I assume she did from that expedition, then she will be vital to this case." Naru said, cleaning the immediate debris from the beam and surrounding floor while Lin and John moved the beam, Monk joining in as the help place it carefully along the wall closest to the door. "And Mai. Tea."

Said girls face fell, pouting as she working on the desired beverage. It was only when she turned, cup in hand that Ayako yelled, the hair on the back of their necks rising at the frightened yell. Everyone quickly followed the red heads gaze and they zeroed in on the misty white figure outside base, partially hidden the boards covering the window.

A mantra, pray and whistle sounded through the tense air, dulling noting that none affected the apparition just beyond the wall.

The next second, it vanished and the lights flickered dangerously. Thankfully, to Mai's pleasure, the electricity didn't give in to the ever common clique. Despite that though, the temperature dropped, frost coating every surface in a fine layer of ice. It was only when Naru said that ghost was missing that the team noticed that they could feel the spirits presence linger heavily in the room.

It was only when they heard the tea cup clatter to the floor and a strangled gasp leave Mai's lips when they realised where the phantom went...

**~X-x-X~**

**So, did you like it? Was it good? Bad? I've had this idea in my head for who knows how long and when I finally started writing it, I could seem to stop! I also partially blame this on the game series 'Uncharted.' Damn you Drake! Haha. Please review and tell me what you think? Tell me what you want to happen or what will happen in the future of this fic. Don't be shy. Constructive critism and advice is welcome whole heartedly. Stay tuned for the next instalment of '**_A Haunted History.'_

**Until next time! Ja ne~**


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